


Breath of Life

by AngelycDevil



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Peggy is a good bro, airplane au, bucky is besotted, steve gets all the good father awards, steve is an angry chihuahua
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 10:26:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5740117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelycDevil/pseuds/AngelycDevil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.” ~John Keating, Dead Poets Society.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breath of Life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EveryDayBella](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EveryDayBella/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOOOOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR TWIFEY! HAPPY BIIIRTHDAYYY TOOO YOOOUUU! 
> 
> My dear and lovely everydaybella,  
> I am forever grateful for your existence in this world and my life. You ground me, inspire me and you're the bestest friend anyone could ask for. Thank you for being you. Wish you have the best year and life a human can have. I love you, twifey. Happy birthday! <3333

Let’s make something very clear right now: Bucky Barnes is usually a “soft jeans paired with a plaid shirt that Peggy said accentuates his eyes” kind of guy.

The only ( _only_ ) reason he is standing in line at the airport cafeteria in a fucking sweater and pressed khakis is because this meeting that he sort of weaseled his way into is worth more and it begins minutes after he lands in California. He’s finally climbing up the ladder and Peggy had told him very clearly that he’d be an idiot to miss out on this opportunity. Her exact words were, “Darling, you better get a seat at that table or you’ll be spending the rest of your life in a sad little cubicle.”

So naturally, Bucky had hauled ass, pulled one of the two strings he had and _voila_ , he’s here in a perfect-fit suit that straightens his spine, ordering at Panera Bread before he has to catch his four-hour flight. To make this day _so much better_ , the guy behind him seems to have never heard the term “inside voice” and has been very loudly explaining in excruciating detail his disastrous date from two nights ago for the last few minutes. If the guy calls her ‘a slut’ one more time simply for rejecting his sorry ass, Bucky’s gonna stab him with a plastic fork.

Bucky nearly collapses in relief when he gets to walk from the counter and strategically places himself as far away from the douchebag. Methodically, every few minutes an order is called out and Bucky has always appreciated a well-oiled machine. Hell, he still remembers the craziness of working at a restaurant back in high school. It takes a special kind of patience to work in a restaurant.

A patience that’s about to tested, he realizes, when he sees a lanky blond storming towards the counter.

“Excuse me,” he calls out into the momentarily empty kitchen, chin jutted out and eyes furrowed in a way that means Business. “ _Hey_!”

_Oh, for the love of…_

“They’re probably busy,” Bucky finds himself saying. _What the fuck. OMG, shut up, Bucky._

The blond turns toward him, still glaring and fuck, it’s a bit scary. “I _know_ they’re busy. Maybe they should’ve gotten my order right the first time,” he sneers before turning back to the counter. “ _Hey!_ ”

“In a moment!” A shrill voice replies from the back and the guy huffs angrily, smacking the plate on the counter.

_Yeesh, someone’s got issues._

Bucky’s buzzer lights up at the same time the lady rushes back to the counter, his order in hand. He makes sure to smile and thank her because she deserves to have at least one good customer for every…angry blond.

Finding himself a nice, quiet corner, he digs in, savoring every bite of delicious sandwich and sip of soup as he realizes that his fruit smoothie doesn’t last as long as he thought it did. He’s halfway through his meal when the overhead announcement calls for his flight to begin boarding. Bucky sighs and drinks as much of the soup that he can in the next few minutes and wraps the sandwich in napkin to eat while he’s waiting to board. He hoists his bag on his shoulder and walks toward the gate.

Thankfully the line is long - long enough for Bucky to be done with his meal by the time he checks in and squeezes into the waiting bus. He rolls his muscles out as they travel to the plane, preparing himself for the long flight. He hates flying, especially across time zones which completely wears him out. The things you do for your job, right?

At least he has the window seat. A small reward. This way he feels less suffocated, being able to look out. Finding it proves to be easy since it’s the first one after first class. One usually reserved for the babies and oh _thank fuck_ , none of the people sitting in his row seem to have babies. Maybe, except the ones who are sitting right next to him because those seats are still empty. He has nothing against babies…on land. But flying is already a pain in the ass, babies tend to make it worse with their screaming.

Bucky slides his luggage in the overhead compartment and sits down, stretching his legs out. Maybe this won’t be so bad, even if there’s a baby next to him. He has space to move and be comfortable. People have it worse, he’s sure. He unwraps his pillow, blanket and headphones to organize them properly when a green bag lands next to his feet. He looks up to find two wide-eyed children (not babies, _phew_ )…oh. _Him._ Mr. Angry Blond. Who’s currently trying to shove his bags in the compartment, but he’s too short and god, someone help him before he’s buried in his own luggage. Just as Bucky gets up to offer, a flight attendant breezes by him all smiles and adjusts his baggage. Mr. Angry Blond is left blushing as she moves down the aisle and Bucky can’t shut up the part of his brain that thinks the blondie is kinda cute when he’s not angry.

“Dada, Ba’ney?” one of the kids, the little boy, asks before sticking his fist back into his mouth.

Mr. Less Angry Blond smiles at his kid before he reaches up to the overheard compartment, mumbling to himself. _Oy._

“May I?” Bucky blurts out, averting his eyes from the blond’s slim hips.

The guy looks down at the request and Bucky sees the moment recognition sparks in his blue eyes. His eyes narrow and he begins to tense.

“Ya know what? Never mind.” Bucky throws his hands up in defeat. Whatever. It’s not his problem.

“Ba’ney! Ba’ney!” the kid tugs at his father’s shirt, his lips in a pout.

The blond deflates in his peripheral. “Sorry. Rough day,” the guy mutters, looking at Bucky before talking to his son. “One second, Nate.”

 _Clearly._  

“We all have ‘em, buddy,” Bucky mutters before tapping on Nate’s shoulder. Because his mama raised a gentleman. “You like Barney too?!” he says to the kid, eyes wide and smile turning genuine when excitement overtakes the kid and he starts babbling.

“Thanks,” the blond huffs out as he pulls the bag down, takes out the most hideous purple toy and hands it to Nate. The kid takes the toy and settles in his seat while his father tries to throw the bag back into the compartment. Bucky swallows a smile. The bag manages to safely get situated just in time for the captain to announce lift-off. The blond takes care of Nate’s belt first before his daughter’s, talking her into putting her DS away for a moment. The daughter sticks her tongue at him before complying.

The engines rumble beneath Bucky’s feet and he straightens in his seat, clutching the hand rests. Take-offs are always the worst. Even landings are better because they’re _on land_. Take-offs though…

Bucky gulps and inhales deeply.

“Not a fan of flying?”

The breath Bucky exhales is shaky. The kids are probably laughing at him right now. A grown adult. A businessman. Afraid of flying. “No, not really.” He forces himself to relax and look away from the faded white of the aircraft walls to the skinny blond.

“My sister hates it too. It’s why we fly to her.”

“Wish I could get outta this one, but…” Bucky shrugs.

The blond chuckles. “Life, right?”

“Exactly,” Bucky huffs as he feels a nudge against his forearm.

“Here,” Nate says, holding out Barney. “Ba’ney make happy?”

Bucky grins, plucking the soft toy outta the kid’s hands before he gets offended. “Thanks, pal.”

Nate grins happily before going back to sucking on his hand and Bucky finds himself clutching the toy closer as the plane lifts off the ground.

“I’m Steve, by the way,” the blond introduces. “This is Nate and Elizabeth. Figured we should know each other’s name if we’re gonna spend the next couple hours cooped up next to each other.”

“Bucky,” he replies, reaching over the kids to shake Steve’s hand. “Well, it’s James but no one’s called me that since...I was like five.”

“You got Bucky from James?”

“Nah. I got Bucky from Buchanan. Yes, that’s a president and no, we’re not gonna talk about it.”

Steve snorts before his look turns speculative. “Okay then,” he declares. “Let’s discuss gender politics.”

 _Oh, really? That’s what you wanna do?_ “Men are immature a-holes. What more is there?” He’s had this discussion with Peggy numerous times. Mostly with a few bottles of wine and FRIENDS reruns. Don’t judge.

Steve’s jaw drops theatrically before he claims earnestly, “Not all men!” Too earnestly.

Bucky snickers as his view of Mr. Angry Blond shifts. Maybe the guy isn’t a complete asshole after all.

Steve smirks, looking somewhat relieved that Bucky hadn’t taken the statement seriously. “I’m sorry, was that too serious for an introduction?”

“Yeah,” Bucky agrees. “It seems more of a second date conversation.”

“I’m not usually doing a lot of talking on the second date,” Steve replies before his eyes widen with realization at what he said. “ _Shi_ –I mean, I don’t...I didn’t mean it like...not like we...I’m not implying that–” he inhales deeply. “I _don’t_ do that on the second date. Clearly. Because I don’t.”

“ _Right._ Of course,” Bucky agrees quickly, biting his lips to make sure he doesn’t burst out laughing. _Jesus, this guy._

Steve huffs, dragging his hand over his face, muttering nonsensically to himself. A few moments later, he peeks out from his fingers at still-trying-to-hide-his-laughter Bucky with a completely serious look. “Forget I said anything, okay? That was weird.”

“You said what?” Bucky replies with too wide eyes, earning an eye roll before Steve physically turns in his seat toward Bucky.

“So, what brings you to Cali?”

“Work conference...type thing.” Bucky grimaces. “Actually, I don’t really know what it is, but I like to wing things. You?”

“We live there, actually. My sister, the one that hates flying, she lives in New York and she just got married. We were at her wedding.”

“Wow. It went well?”

“Absolutely. They’re one of those sickeningly-in-love couples, so of course, the wedding _had_ to reflect that,” Steve recalls fondly.

“But isn’t that the point of life? To find love?”

Steve regards him for a moment before a tiny smile appears on his soft lips. “I suppose.”

~.o0o.~

It’s a few hours into the flight and Bucky has gone through most of the shows he hasn’t watched. Boredom begins to set into his bones and that’s his problem number three with flights. Boredom itches and claws and the next thing he knows, he’ll be feeling like a caged animal, completely claustrophobic and end up having a panic attack in an even more cramped bathroom.

_Deep breaths, Buck._

Looking for a distraction, he looks over at his row partners to find Steve and Nate fast asleep. Nate is curled up awkwardly between his pillow and the one Bucky lent him and Steve is passed out sitting straight, mouth hanging slightly open. And it’s ridiculous that Bucky considers that adorable. Really, Steve isn’t a bad guy at all. He isn’t the impatient, rude asshole Bucky assumed him to be after the Panera incident. Turns out he’s a caring father who was terrified that his daughter might get sick from the cheese since she’s lactose-intolerant.

Of course, this just elevates Steve in Bucky’s eyes which is bad thing because Bucky has a habit of falling in love with _everyone_. He’s the type of person who finds something to love in every person he meets and it’s a good thing, Peggy assures him, but in moments like this? When he knows he’ll never see this cute-ass blond again? These moments suck.

The only one awake is the little blonde girl, Elizabeth, who’s smashing at the small buttons on her DS in a quick pace, her lips caught between her teeth. Bucky’s impressed with her concentration (kid’s been at this the entire flight) when the game music halts and Elizabeth groans. Huffing and throwing herself back into her seat, she growls out, “I give up! I hate this!” and throws the game on the floor.

“Can I try?” The words are out of Bucky’s mouth before he realizes it. Something he apparently needs to get used to around this family. He doesn’t know why he offers, but hey, he has been bored out of his mind.

The girl, Elizabeth, turns to look at him with squinty eyes as if she’s gauging his skill. Rolling her eyes, she picks up her DS and hands it to him. “This level has been kicking my butt, but you can _try_.”

Bucky holds in his snort (god, is everyone in this family adorable?) and starts the game. Once he doesn’t fail in the first few minutes, Elizabeth jumps down from her seat and peeks at the mini screen. Before he knows it, she’s leaning on his legs, cheering him on as he “kicks the game’s butt” and Steve’s already woken once to blearily stare at the two before mumbling something sternly at Elizabeth before going back to snoring. The entire exchange take a few seconds and leaves the two giggling in their corner at Steve’s incomprehensible words before they return to the game.

A few minutes later, the snack cart comes by to hand out peanuts and crackers and while Bucky has been engrossed in the game in front of him, he doesn’t miss the “aren’t they _adorable?_ ” that’s departed to the rows behind him. Bucky snaps up to see the flight attendant smiling at him…and Elizabeth. Together. _Oh._ Before he can correct her, she’s off a few more rows down and he doesn’t want to cause a scene. But it’s weird that he doesn’t mind that she thinks they’re family, right? Then again, he’ll never see her again, so does it matter what she thinks?

Shaking his head, he focuses back on the game, complimenting Elizabeth on her awesome skills.

~.o0o.~

The captain’s voice in the speakers has everyone waking up and stretching in their seats. Steve takes Elizabeth and Nate to the bathroom before buckling them in for landing. The attendants come by to make sure everyone is strapped in as the flight begins to descend with a lurch. Bucky does not jump in his seat because for fuck’s sake, he’s a grown man, but he also doesn’t reject the Barney that finds itself in his lap. Jeez, these kids are sweethearts.

And as all good things, the flight comes to a complete stop and they begin to get off the flying metal pipe. Bucky returns the toy to Nate, thanking him for having his back, before he drags his bag and Steve’s out of the overhead compartment, ignoring Steve’s mock glare.

“It’s the least I can do after your son protected me from the flight monsters,” he says, winking as he throws his bags over his shoulder as the line moves. “Seriously though, you have great kids.”

Steve grins at him, his eyes sparkling at the compliment. “Thank you.”

A moment stills before passing and Bucky exhales loudly, rocking on his feet. “Alright, so, um nice meeting you, but, um, I gotta go. I have a meeting. Best of luck?”

“You too, man. Thanks for…being a decent guy. I guess.”

Bucky chuckles and the line moves until they’re out of the plane. Bucky turns around to wave them goodbye and that’s it. Because he has a life to get back to and so does Steve and whatever spark they had ends here. Which is a damn shame, really, but it is what it is. Slipping into work mode, Bucky rushes to get his suitcase then a cab. By the time he pulls up in front of Stark Tower, Steve is a far away thought.

Until he gets into his hotel room after a successful evening and opens his suitcase because he most definitely does not own a sparkly pink shirt with an unicorn on it. _What the hell_ ? He looks under the pink shirt to make sure it isn’t Peggy playing some sick joke and _nope, definitely not his._ Sticking his hand into the corners of the suitcase, he looks for an ID card, praying the person had left one because he knows he doesn’t have one in his suitcase. He thankfully finds one in a pocket and pulls out his phone to type in the number when he reads the name.

_Steven Grant Rogers._

**Author's Note:**

> This would not have been possible without CG and Packy. Thank you both for all your invaluable input, advice and hand-holding as I tried to put words on paper. xoxo


End file.
